How to Appear on the First Page of Google
Now this is the million dollar question! There is a whole industry built around making sure websites are listing on Google’s first page and for very good reason. 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results.
For schools, ranking on the first page for branded searches (i.e. your school name) is usually pretty easy if you are following the basic rules of SEO however you also want to rank highly for more generic non branded searches eg “Top private schools in London”, “Independent schools near me”, “girls schools in Surrey”.
Here’s how you can do that…
1. Google Ads
AKA pay per click. AKA pay to be No 1!
This is technically cheating the system by automatically ranking at the top of the search page however it can be of great value if you are trying to boost your rankings on certain search terms but cant for some reason.
Using Google Adwords you can set budgets for the amount you spend and can select to target certain search terms which is especially useful for searches where you wouldn’t normally rank highly.
There is constant debate about whether to pay for search ads or do it the ‘organic’ way, so if ads are not something you plan on using we need to improve your organic search using SEO tactics…
2. Get your basic SEO right
As we mentioned before, checking your basic website SEO is correct is the first place to start if you want to boost your rankings.
You need to make sure you have covered steps like:
Sensible URL naming structure
Appropriate image sizing and relevant alt tags
Populating page titles and meta descriptions
Make your content interesting
Add links to other pages and websites
Check out our Top 10 SEO tips for schools guide for more information.
3. Long Tail Keywords
Keywords are effectively the words that people are searching for. The more common a phrase the higher the competition for space on the 1st page of Google.
For example, trying to rank for “Schools” is going to be almost impossible as you are competing against everyone and everything in the schools market.
However focusing on long tail keywords, such as “Independent schools in High Wycombe”, is much easier and, in all likelihood, more beneficial as the majority of searches as most are in the long tail format.
But what does this mean for your content?
You need to make sure that you are including those keywords/phrases in the content of you page/s. i.e. Independent. Schools. High Wycombe. This is aided by…
4. High Quality Page Content
For Google to rank your page highly it needs to think that the page content is the best for what is being searched for. The whole idea of Google is to send the user to exactly what they are looking for. The page content needs to be engaging and useful to the user, if its not people will click away.
You need to make sure that you are covering the information that a user needs in a manner that is easy to read. Use clear paragraphs, tables, graphics, videos etc to break up the content and make it easily digestible.
Also consider the length, pages that contain only a paragraph or two of information wont rank as highly as those with a whole page of information. While the old adage of quality over quantity still applies, having longer content that people want to read is always going to benefit your ranking.
5. Linking
Linking is very important to SEO and your Google ranking, both links to and from your site.
If you have other websites linking back to yours and, vice versa, if you are linking to other websites, this can have a positive impact.
The idea behind it is that a website that is being linked to a lot must be a good page otherwise people wouldn’t link to it in the first place. Likewise if you are linking out to other useful sites, like local area guides, governing body information, school uniform providers etc your site becomes more useful to users.
This is quite a hard thing to do, obviously, as you are reliant on other websites however there a few things you can try:
Guest post on local blogs
Use your social media to link to your site on relevant posts
Reach out to local communities that may have a link to your school
Speak to alumni about opportunities
6. Blogs and Articles
One way to help with linking and your general SEO strategy is to start writing a blog or posting articles on your website (if you aren't doing so already!)
If you write more content, you’ve got a better chance at ranking on the first page of Google. If you write more, the more pages Google looks at and the more traffic you bring to your site.
Blogging is the top form of content marketing and Google loves blogs! Companies that blog have 434% more indexed pages than businesses without blogs.
What sort of blogs could you produce?
The head’s/principal’s blog: Talk about education technologies, leadership, creativity, classroom differences, what makes your school different, the education industry in general.
The pupil’s blog: What are the kids up to, what do they learn, hear things from their perspective, trips, extra curricular.
The teacher’s blog: similar to the head’s blog but from multiple staff members, new teaching techniques, educational guides, education expertise.
A great example of the power of blogging is from Alwickbury School who are currently ranking #4 for “How much does private school cost” above the Financial times and the Guardian.
7. Page Speed
Even if you have everything above, if your website doesn't load properly and quickly, it will negate all of your hard work.
45% of users will leave a website if it is slow to load with the average expected load time is only around 3 seconds.
If users leave your site quickly and don’t return then your website will be seen as less user friendly by Google and will be ranked lower regardless of the other things you do to try and boost your ranking.
You can conduct a free speed test via Google to see how you measure up.
Mastering SEO is a process - and we are here to help! Request our Social/SEO & Parent Comms Proposal, and one of our #DigitalJedi will be in touch to help tailor and boost your school’s SEO.